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Centennial Perspectives are short review, or perspective articles, on important topics in pharmacology and therapeutics summarizing the development of knowledge on the topic over the last century. Centennial Perspectives will appear in all of ASPET's journals over the course of the next two years and will be freely available online immediately after publication. If you would like to write a Centennial Perspective, please contact Richard Dodenhoff, ASPET's Journals Director, rdodenhoff@aspet.org.
The Singular Moral Compass of Otto Krayer Rebecca Anderson, Early Development Operations, Amgen, Inc. On June 15, 1933, Otto Krayer sat down to write the most important letter of his professional career. The thirty-three-year-old clinical scientist had just been offered the chair of pharmacology and toxicology at the Medical Academy of Düsseldorf, and everyone expected Krayer to accept the appointment. He declined. "I will abstain from winning a position that corresponds to my inclinations and abilities," he wrote, "rather than make a decision contrary to my conviction or, by remaining inauspiciously silent, further an opinion about me that is not in accordance with the facts." Krayer saw the removal of the Jewish incumbent chairman, Philipp Ellinger, to be an injustice that he explicitly challenged. "Under these circumstances, assuming such a position as the one in Düsseldorf would impose a great mental burden on me," he explained. Krayer was the sole scientist to decline the "call" (as it is said in German) to a chaired position that, in accordance with Nazi law, could no longer be occupied by a Jew. Krayer’s moral stand, so carefully and thoughtfully considered, enraged the German authorities. The sanctions they imposed, banning him from teaching or even using university libraries, effectively ended his promising academic career in Germany. Contemporaries of Krayer who faced similar censorship were driven to become vocal political dissidents. Otto Krayer, on the other hand, did not enter into external, political discourse, and chose rather to leave his homeland in order to pursue his interests in pharmacology. He went on to lead a highly productive professional life, in the sphere of science, that was always guided by an uncompromising moral compass.
Torald Sollmann's Studies
of Mustard Gas Brian M. Cox, Professor, Dept of Pharmacology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
In 1919, Torald Sollmann published
two papers in the on the ability of selected solvents and
absorbents to modify the severity of skin lesions induced
by mustard gas (1,1'-thiobis[2-chlorethane], or
dichloroethyl sulfide). Mustard gas, or sulfur mustard, is
a vesicating agent that had recently been used on troops
fighting in the First World War. Sollmann’s studies were
unusual, at least by today’s standards, in that he chose
to study the effects of this highly toxic compound on
himself and on students who volunteered for the project.
These studies did not provide insights into the mechanism
of action of mustard gas or lead to the introduction of a
novel antidote, and they certainly do not count among the
major contributions to pharmacological research that
arose from Sollmann’s long and distinguished career.
Nevertheless, the papers are of interest because they
shed light on the way that pharmacology was practiced by one
of the founding members of the American Society for
Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. The
willingness of Sollmann to expose both himself and his
students to significant personal risk in the search for
protective measures against mustard gas may also reflect
the sense of fear and concern in the public at the use of
chemical warfare in the twentieth century.
This is the first of three articles covering the development of drug metabolism research in the US during the first 100 years of ASPET. Prior to 1909 the majority of drug metabolism research was performed in Europe. The period from 1909-1958 saw extensive development of the methods required for modern metabolism studies. Examples of trends and specific discoveries are drawn from the archives of ASPET publications.
The Development of Drug
Metabolism Research as Expressed in the Publications of ASPET,
Part 2 - 1959-1983 Patrick Murphy, Butler University In 25 years drug metabolism research went from using sub cellular particles of undefined content to an understanding of metabolism at the molecular level. The discovery of cytochrome P450, enzyme induction, reactive intermediates, and genetic polymorphisms provided milestones in the field. New publications from ASPET chronicled the discoveries and provided communications to advance the science of drug metabolism.
Ronald P. Rubin, Professor and Chair, Dept of Pharmacology & Toxicology, SUNY-Buffalo Medical School
When the American Society of
Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET1)
Centennial Committee began considering ways to celebrate
the Society's 100th anniversary in 2008, an early interest
was expressed in having a publication that presented
the research history of the discipline. However, the
Committee recognized that such a tome would fill a
very large volume and be an immense task.
Several problems were perceived. First, it would take an enormous effort, one which few authors would be willing to undertake. Second, the likelihood that a quality publication of that magnitude could be produced by 2008 was slight. Third, no matter how thorough an author might be, the work of many excellent pharmacologists would be omitted and could lead to conflicts. Finally, possibly the most important problem would be that the shear mass of material would not attract many young pharmacologists as readers. More than anything else, the Centennial Committee wants this publication to be interesting to young scientists. It came to the attention of the Committee that Dr. Ronald Rubin had been independently considering writing about key discoveries in the history of pharmacology. The Committee offered to sponsor the project. What follows is the outcome of that effort by Dr. Rubin. In the view of the Committee, what Dr. Rubin has written avoids the major problems noted above. The history is written in a highly interesting vein and is of a length that can be read in a relatively short period of time. The theses chosen are of such importance and are developed in such a style that it would be difficult to fault their selection. The lead investigators that Dr. Rubin highlights were (or are) remarkable individuals. Although each discovery discussed herein culiminated in a Nobel Prize, many other familiar names are woven into the fabric, and the evolution of ideas from multiple individuals is emphasized. The Centennial Committee is pleased to sponsor
this publication and hopes that the memories of more
senior scientists will be relived and that young
scientists will find the stories inspiring. We give
our thanks to Dr. Rubin for his efforts and for these
fine results.
John Parascandola, Historical Consultant, Rockville, MD On December 28, 1908, eighteen men met in the pharmacology lecture room of the Johns Hopkins University Medical School to establish the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET). In 2008 ASPET celebrates its Centennial, presenting an appropriate occasion for a look back at its history.
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The
Development of Drug Metabolism Research as Expressed in the
Publications of ASPET: Part 1,1909-1958
